UK cancels annual alumni charity basketball game

DeMarcus Cousins of the Sacramento Kings takes a break from scrimmage during a USA Basketball mini camp practice, Monday, July 22, 2013, in Las Vegas. Twenty-eight of the best young players in the country are in Las Vegas for four days of workouts that essentially mark the kickoff of 2016 Olympic preparations. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson) ASSOCIATED PRESS

DeMarcus Cousins of the Sacramento Kings takes a break from scrimmage during a USA Basketball mini camp practice, Monday, July 22, 2013, in Las Vegas. Twenty-eight of the best young players in the country are in Las Vegas for four days of workouts that essentially mark the kickoff of 2016 Olympic preparations. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson) ASSOCIATED PRESS

The University of Kentucky's 2014 Alumni Charity Game scheduled for Aug. 24 in Rupp Arena was canceled on Wednesday because several former Cats were unable to participate.

Anyone who bought tickets for the game will receive a full refund.

"With what we've been able to do with bringing our guys back for our fans and raising money for charity, the UK Alumni Charity Game has turned into one of my favorite events at UK," Coach John Calipari said in a news release. "Unfortunately, due to a number of circumstances out of our control, we are going to have to cancel this year's game."

A number of players were unavailable for the event, including DeMarcus Cousins and Anthony Davis who are participating with Team USA, and John Wall, who was committed to a function in China.

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UK also said it decided to cancel the game out of respect to Paul George and many players' uneasiness this summer as a result of his injury at the Team USA camp in Las Vegas this month.

"We consider the alumni game to be a first-class experience, but without the presence of several of our key alums who had previous commitments, including to USA Basketball, we didn't feel we could meet the standard that we have set for fans," Calipari said. "We still had enough commitments to field our team, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to secure enough members for the non-UK team.

"While I'm disappointed for our fans and for the great organizations we were able to help with the game, I'm happy we will still be able to make an impact on our community with the proceeds from my fantasy experience."

To receive refunds, fans who bought tickets in person need to return them to the location of purchase. Tickets bought online or over the phone will be credited back to the card used. The Rupp Arena box office is open Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.